Leica M Monochrom – Digital Camera for Black & White Photography

Black and white photography has long been the domain of film of photographers, but Leica‘s set to change the game with its M Monochrom, an 18-megapixel rangefinder that represents the first digital camera designed to shoot pictures in only black and white. Since the sensor has no color filter array, it can output one pixel of data for each pixel captured, resulting in images that are incredibly sharp. The removal of the color filter array reduces noise and improves low-light image capture, resulting in a maximum ISO increase to 10,000, versus 2,500 on the M9. Additional features include 2.5-inch 230k-dot color LCD, rangefinder-type optical viewfinder and 14-bit uncompressed RAW mode yielding 36MB DNGs. The body-only M Monochrom is scheduled to land in stores in July, with retail set at $7,950. A new Leica APO-Summicron-M 50 mm f/2 ASPH prime lens will be available around the same time for $7,195.